Sylvania



J. SIMPSON & H. E. & w. w. CLA Y.

ROLL CHANGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- IO, 1915.

1,195,518. PatentedAug. 22,1916.

FIG. 3

JAMES SIMPSON, HARRY E. CLAY, AND WILLIAM W. CLAY, 0F McKEESPORT. PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- VANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ROLL-CHANGING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters P at entli Patented A 22 1916 Application filed November 10. 1915. 60,701.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that we. JAMES SIMPSON, HARRY E. CLAY. and TILLIAM \V. CLAY, citizens of the United States, and residents of McKecsport. in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roll-ChangingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus used in handling rolls in removing the rolls of rolling mills endwise from the roll housings through the windows of the housings, and in relacing the rolls within the roll housings.

One object of the invention is to provide roll changing apparatus having novel means whereby the rolls are held in position and are handled in removing the rolls through the housing windows from between the roll housings of rolling mills, and are placed in position within the roll housings.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roll changing apparatus having the novel constructions. combinations. and arrangement of parts covered by the claims and more fully described hereinafter.

The invention consists in a roll changing apparatus having means for suspending the rolls from the chain hook of a traveling crane or other support and having novel means whereby the rolls are engaged and held in the desired positions during the roll changing operations.

Referring now to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevation showing our improved roll changing apparatus as suspended from the chain hook of an overhead traveling crane hr other support. and as connected to the top roll of a two-high rolling mill in positioning and in removing the top roll from. and replacing it with another, between. the rolling mill housings. Fig. 2 is a similar side elevation showing our improved roll dhanging apparatus as applied to the bottom roll of a twohigh rolling mill in removing the bottom roll or positioning a bottom roll between the rolling mill housings. Fig. 3 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale showing the construction of the socket or roll engaging end of our improved apparatus. Fig. 4c is an end elevation of the parts of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

In the accompanying drawings the numerals 2 and 3 designate the roll housings of a two-high rolling mill having a top roll 4,: and bottom roll 5. The rolls as shown have necks 6 and pods or wabblers 7 constructed in the ordinary manner. and for the usual known purposes.

The roll changing apparatus, as shown, comprises a bent arm 8 having rope slings 9 and 10 secured to the bent upper end thereof by means of the clevis 11 and links 12, the slings 9 and 10 being employed to suspend the roll changing apparatus from the hook 13 of an overhead crane or other traveling support. Pivoted to the, forked lower end of the bent arm 8, by a pivot pin 14, is a lever arm 15 having a socket 16 on one end, the opening 17 in the socket 16 being made of a size and contour to fit the wabblers T on the ends of the necks of the rolls to be lifted or changed. The opening 17 will. of course, be large enough to provide suflicient clearance for the socket 16 to be easily and quickly applied to the wabbler 7 on the end of the rolls. The opposite end of the lever arm 15 is provided with an extension 18 forming a handle, conveniently formed of a. piece of wrought metal pipe, which, being hollow, is light in weight, while affording the necessary strength. The pipe forming the extension or handle 18 is fastened by the pin 19 to the cylindrical end of the lever arm 15 inserted in the end of the pipe or extension'lS so as to rigidly secure the extension or handle in place on the lever arm. Obviously the handle 18 may be formed integrally on the end of the lever arm 15 when considered necessary or advisable. The upper face of the lever arm 15 is serrated at a plurality of points, the series of teeth or serrations 20 and 20 being provided at different points in the length of the arm.

Secured to and forming part of the lower end of the bent arm 8 is a bracket 21 formed of two plates and between the plates forming this bracket a swinging dog 22 is secured by means of a pivot pin 23. The upper end of the dog 22 forms a counterbalance 24 which tends to hold the serrated or toothed end of the dog 22 out of engagement with the serrations 20 or 21 in the upper surface of the lever arm 15. The lower end of the dog 22 also is serrated, having a series of teeth 25 which are adapted to engage with the teeth 20 or 20 in the arm 15 in holding the arm 15 in the desired angularly adjusted position when lifting the rolls. A handle 26 provides means for manually moving the dog into engagement with the arm 15. and

the pin 27 on the bracket 21 aifords means engaging with and limiting the swinging movement of the dog in one direction.

It is desirable and necessary to make the roll changes as quickly as possible. so as to avoid unnecessary delay in the operation of the mill. and in order to reduce the time required for changing the rolls. as few as possible of the roll bearings. bearing carriers. and other parts of the roll supports mounted in the housing windows should be disturbed in order to avoid unnecessary handling of such parts, which are heavy and unwieldy.

The wabbler 7 becomes worn during extended use so that its size will vary and become smaller after long use, and as a result the amount of lost motion between the 20 on the pivoted arm 15 and the coacting teeth 25 on the end of the manually actuated adjustable dog 22.

In the use of our improved apparatus it is suspended by means of the slings 9 and 10V from the hook 13 of an overhead crane or other traveling support. The support is then moved to bring the socket end 16 of the lever arm 15 into position to be moved manually so as to cause a wabbler T on the upper roll 4 to enter the opening 17 in the socket 16. That is to say. to bring the socket 16 into the position relative to the top roll 4 shown in Fig. 1. The small amount of clearance between the upper end of the housing windows and roll necks makes it necessary to support the top roll from the roll changing mechanism with its axis in a substantially horizontal plane. The handle end of the lever arm 15 is then depressed manually by means of the handle on the end of this arm'to take up any lost motion between the socket-16' and wabbler 7 and the dog 22 is moved manually from left to right into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. \Vhen in this position the teeth 25 in the serrated end of the dog 22 engage the teeth 20 forming the serrations in the top surface of the arm 15 so as to hold the lever arm 15 and roll 1 in the horizontal position shown and prevent the possibility of slipping of the dog relative to the. arm 15 or relative movement of the socket and wabbler. Preparatory to attaching the socket 16 to the wabbler of the top roll 4 the top bearings for this roll will have been loosened and removed from the housing windows. In some cases the top bearings 28 for the top roll 4 will be raised vertically in the housing windows and temporarily secured in raised position by means of bolts 99 provided for that purpose and arranged to extend downwardly through suit-able openings in the housing caps or upper end of the housings. The support for the roll changing apparatus is then caused :0 lift the bent arm 8 and by such movement lift the roll +L from the bottom bearing for the top roll so as to support *5 the roll through the medium of the roll changing apparatus from the crane hook 13. The crane is then moved so as to remove the top roll 4: endwise through the window of the housing 2. The removed roll is then placed in any desired position and the crane again brings the roll changing apparatus into position to engage the wabbler T on the end of the lower roll 5. The diameter of the body of the roll 5 relative to the diameter of its necks 6 is such that the roll body will not clear the bottom bearing 32 when the. roll is lifted with its axis horizontal until its neck 6 engages with the lower surface of the top roll carrier 31. and therefore the bottom ro'll will be inclined at an angle to the horizontal as shown in Fig. Preparatory to attaching the roll changing apparatus to the lower roll the left hand hearing or carrier 30 for the top roll -.t in the housing window above the neck 6 of the bot tom roll is removed. The bottom hearing or carrier 31 in the housing 2 for the top roll is not disturbed, remaining in place during the roll changing operations, and both of the bottom bearings 32 and 33 for the bottom roll also remain in place. The socket 16 of the lever arm 15 is then connected to a wabbler T on the bottom roll 5, and the bottom roll is removed through the window of the housing 2 in the manner which has been described in connection with the top roll 4. In removing the bottom roll the roll 5 will extend lengthwise at a slight angle to the horizontal, to enable this roll being removed without disturbing the top roll carrier 31 in the window of the housing 3 and bottom bearing 32 in the housing 2 and in order to have the roll in such lifting position the teeth 25 in the lower end of the dog 2 are caused to engage with the teeth 20 in the other of the two serrated surfaces of the upper side of the lever arm 15 in the manner shown in Fig. 2. Any lost motion between the wabbler 7 and socket 16 is taken up by swinging the dog 22 from left to right so as to cause more of the serrations 20 and 25 to be in engagement. It will be understood that when no .lost motion exists between the wabbler and socket. but two or three of the teeth 20 will be engaged by the teeth 25 in the dog 22.

In placing the rolls in position between the roll housings the order of the several operations which have been described is re- 1 various angular positions with respect to the' bent arm 8 so that in this way the top and bottom rolls are held in the desired horizon-,1 lever pivoted on said arm and having a roll tal position, or a position at an angle to the horizontal, in removing and replacing the rolls between the roll housings.

The apparatus is adapted for use on three high mills as well as on mills for rolling shapes and employing rolls having grooves and collars on the body of the rolls to form L the rolling passes.

-l\'lodifications in the constructionand'arrangementvof parts may be made without departing from our invention as defined in the appended claims.

\Ve claim 1. Roll changing apparatus comprising a bent arm having a sling whereby said arm is suspended from an overhead support, a horizontal lever pivoted on said arm having a roll engaging socket on one end and a handle on the opposite end, and a dog pivoted on said bent arm, said dog being arranged to engage and 11 1d said lever in a plurality of roll lifting Jesitions.

2. Roll changing apparatus comprising a bent arm having means whereby said arm is suspended from a support, a horizontal lever pivoted on said arm and having a roll engaging socket on one end thereof, and a pivoted (log to adjustably secure said lever in roll lifting position on said arm.

3. Roll changing apparatus comprising a bent arm having means whereby said arm is Y suspended from a support, a horizontal lever pivoted on said arm and having a roll engaging socket on one end thereof, a pivoted dog to adjustably secure said lever in roll lifting position on said arm, and a counterweight on the dog whereby said dog is automatically moved and held in disengaged position.

4. Roll changing apparatus comprising a bent arm having means whereby said arm ,is suspended from a support, a horizontal engaging socket on one end thereof, teeth on one face of said lever, and a pivoted dog having teeth in' one end thereof engaging with the teeth in said pivoted lever to hold said lever in a plurality of roll lifting positions.

5. Roll changing apparatus comprising a bent arm having means whereby said arm issuspended from a support, a horizontal lever pivoted on said arm and having a roll engaging socket on one end thereof, a plurality of sets of teeth in the upper surface of said horizontal lever, and a pivoted dog on the bent arm having a toothed end, said toothed end of the dog engaging the teeth in said sets of teeth to thereby hold said lever in angularly different roll lifting positions.

6. Roll changing apparatus comprising a bent arm, means on the bent upper end of said arm whereby the apparatus is suspended from a support therefor, an angularly adjustable lever pivoted to the lower end of said arm having a roll supporting socket on one end, and means on said arm engaging with said lever to maintain the lever in roll lifting position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JAMES SIMPSON. HARRY E. CLAY. WILLIAM W. CLAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents ,each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

